Beginner Audiophile. How to chose a right amp? Recommendation for my setup?


Hi

I am new to the world of audio and looking for an enjoyable stereo setup for myself.

I have chosen my next set of speakers, DAC, and a streamer, but can’t quite choose a power amp.

You don’t have to read this -->> "How do you pick a right amp for yourself? Do you consider Damping Factor? Do you match Tube DAC + Tube Amp? or Do you match Solid State + Tube Amp? for what reason? What sound do Soild State DAC/Amp + Tube DAC/Amp combos make? Are there characteristics in Amps? like in DACs? if so, what are they?"

Literally, there are just too many questions I want to ask. But, for now, I just want to listen to what you want to say, whatever is in your mind or any advise you would like to give as more experienced audiophiles when you pick a power amp.

I seek for the right components, ideal setups and match because I learned something from my very first set of audio gears I bought for this thanksgiving that I unfortunately returned a few days ago. The sound quality from Sonos Amp was hard to endure! The SVS Ultra bookshelf was great, but not quite so when it dealt with high notes.

So, I did my research this time and found my next set of audio gears.

1. Monitor Audio Gold 100 5G speaker
2. MHDT Lab Orchid DAC
3. MiniDSP SHD Ultra streamer

What I focused on during the research was to pick gears that can produce wide sound stage, great 3d imaging, airy voices, and great details with smooth yet realistic sounds.

But, I don’t have a clue how to choose a right power amp.

I can just pick a internet recommended under $ 1K power amp and be done with it. Maybe I can still be okay. But, I don’t want to just buy something without knowing anything to go through a return process again. I’d rather at least learn some basics before buying a music component, even if I end up returning something. Because I know now that I can be pretty picky on stereo sounds.

So...

Please comment anything you want to add.

Recommend me some used/new power amps + deals (under 1K ish), if you have anything in mind.

Direct me to the right direction.

Thanks.

K





yggy1
The key piece of information here is that your speakers are very insensitive and they are very difficult to drive. One of the first questions you must answer is how loud you like to listen and how big and dead is your room. These are bookshelf speakers so one might expect that you would play them at moderate volumes but If you like to listen at high volumes and if your room is large with a carpeted floor and lots of furniture you are going to need an amp with high wattage that doubles its power into 4 ohms and preferable doubles its power again into 2 ohms.

I suggest that you consider the amp's ability to put out substantial power at 2 ohms as one of your main criteria. If the manufacturer doesn't list power output at 2 ohms then IMO you should rule it out.

Here is an example of an integrated amp that you can find on the used market that has a very high current output - Denon PMA 2000IVR. It's rated at 80 watts into 8 ohms and 320 watts into 2 ohms. I have one of these in my secondary system and it sounds very good. There are several iterations of this amp but the series all has the beefy power output. They cost between $500 and $1000 for one in mint condition. This amp would be a good baseline and later on when you want to upgrade it would be an excellent reference.

If you go out and spend a bunch of money on a new amp it's going to be impossible to make a judgement of its sound because you have nothing to compare it to. You might think it doesn't sound very good but your problem could be any number of things besides the amp. Going with a competent used amp to start with will allow you to optimize your system regarding speaker placement, room acoustics, and maybe the addition of a subwoofer. Then when you get the bug to upgrade you have the ability to hear whether or not it sounds better.
What a fun journey to start! I suggest you read Roger Sanders white paper on transistors versus tubes or something like that. It's on the Sanders sound systems website.
Again, thank you all. I really appreciate all the tips and suggestions. Will keep learning from here.
8th-note, I live in an apartment and definitely don’t want to make any noise problem. I don’t get a sub for that reason. I would like to listen to music in low volume, but with out loss of details, depth, and staging. If that’s the case, what factor should I consider from an amp besides the power? damping factor?
mesch, I live in an apartment and the livingroom is about 8 feet x 13 feet. It is actually larger than that if I include entrance area (about 7 feet x 5 feet ish), but that is the box size of the living room I would say. For now I am looking for a power amp to combo with MHDT Orchid DAC, but I can also just set for a integrated amp like Hagel Rost or H120.